Privacy – Is it just a myth?

Privacy advocates like to “get vocal” whenever they are aware of possible infringements on their perceived privacy.
But what is privacy in the 21st century?

Unless you deal solely in cash transactions, never use the web and generally avoid leaving a trace some element of your personal data will be left behind. This maybe protected by various data privacy laws, but these vary from country to country and not all of the legislation is as favourable of the individual as some might like.
We have to place our trust in governments, but who is watching the watchers? And aren’t governments staffed by people who are as likely, statistically speaking, to be able to abuse data as anyone else?
I’m not being paranoid about this, but when I was reading over a recent thread on an anti-spam list I found myself reflecting on some of these matters.
The discussion seemed to have started in relation to retailers requesting what some people felt was overly private information during the course of a commercial transaction. In other words, the retailer was using the opportunity to learn more about their client base.
Why? Because in any business data and statistics are the true cornerstone. If you don’t know what you are selling and who you are selling it to it can be hard to sell it effectively, increase profits etc., etc.
The issue for the retailer is to glean as much useful information as possible without encroaching on the client’s perceived privacy.
Note that word again – perceived.
I shop in Superquinn most weekends. I could shop elsewhere, but I don’t. In common with so many supermarket chains Superquinn offer a loyalty card. The loyalty card is not an “evil” device, but it serves a number of practical purposes for both the consumer and the retailer.
The basic advantage to the consumer is that they may be able to avail of special offers, receive discounts or exchange points in return for “gifts” (they aren’t really free – you already paid for them indirectly)
The retailer builds a certain degree of loyalty
What the retailer also gets is a vast quantity of data related to the consumer. It may not be a complete view, but it is still valuable information.
I wonder what they think of me?
They probably think I drink a lot of coffee, like red meat, own more than one cat and have a penchant for foreign beer.
Probably not the most revealing initially, but if you start to dig deeper you can see a whole lot more and you could, potentially, use that information to sell to me more effectively.
Of course there is a line that has to be drawn.
Marketing is not evil.
Some people who conceive marketing plans are.
Abusing people’s trust in an effort to increase your sales, albeit marginally, is not a winning strategy in my opinion.
Once you start to lose your clients’ trust and respect you can easily start slipping down the slope
Unless you have a monopoly of course 🙂